Math 4200
Final exam review sheet
December 7, 2007
The final exam is this Wednesday, December 12, in our classroom JTB 120, from 10:30-12:30 (but I
won’t kick anyone out until 1:00). The exam is comprehensive, covering chapters 1-5.2 . On the exam
you will be asked to pick approximately six of ten problems. At least three of the exam problems will be
chosen directly from our first two midterms (which are posted, along with solutions, on our home page),
and at least two more will be favorites from homework. Several problems will ask you to prove key
theorems from complex analysis. If you want to see my actual exam from fall 2002 (and solutions),
follow the link from our home page.
If you wish to ask me study-related questions, come by my office (maybe call first, 581-7318 to see if
I’m in), or send an email so that we can set up a time.
I think of basic complex analysis as following from (only) several key ideas, and the core of these
ideas is what I hope you carry away from the course, along with the correct impression that interesting
complex analysis magic appears in a lot of different areas of higher math. Here are the core ideas:
(0) Complex number algebra and geometry: addition, multiplication, conjugation, inverse, Euler’s
formula and the polar form of complex numbers. It is essential to understand this algebra and geometry,
in order to understand the basic analytic functions. (And this is the starting point in Julia - Mandelbrot
fractal study!)
(1) f(z)=f(x+iy)=u(x,y)+iv(x,y) is complex differentiable at z0 (the limit definition of complex
derivative) iff F(x,y)=[u(x,y),v(x,y)] is real differentiable, with derivative matrix a rotation dilation.
This circle of ideas includes the Cauchy Riemann equations, the chain rule for f(γ(t )), where f is analytic
and γ is a curve. It also includes the calculus of complex differentiation and the inverse function
theorem for analytic functions, and leads to the geometry of
(2) Conformal transformations (bijections) between specified open, connected domains. This includes
the zoo of transformations we studied in chapter 1 (all the functions on your scientific calculator),
including the concept of branches and branch cuts, along with the fractional linear transformations and
RMT in chapter 5.1-5.2. (This direction leads to applications in geometry and partial differential
equations.)
(3) Contour integrals of analytic functions,
⌠
 f(z) dz .
⌡
γ
how to compute by parameterization; the real and imaginary part are each real line integrals; why you
expect such an integral to be zero when γ is the oriented boundary of a domain (Green’s Theorem and
CR equations!... Green’s Theorem also yields alternate proofs of the Cauchy integral formula and the
residue theorem in "simple" cases.)
(4) The circle of theorems related to the precise Cauchy integral formula:
(4a) f analytic in a disk ==> rectangle theorem in disk ==> antiderivative in disk.
local antiderivatives implies the deformation theorem for two homotopic closed curves in an domain A
(which says that the contour integrals over the two curves must agree). In particular, for a simply
connected domain, contour integrals of analytic functions over closed curves must be zero, implying
global antiderivatives exist.
(4b) definition of index and the derivation of the Cauchy integral formula, using (4a).
(4c) CIF for derivatives. Liouville. FTA. mean value and maximum modulus principle properties.
(5) Power series and Laurent series.
(5a) radius of convergence for power series (and uniform absolute convergence inside), and
complementary result for power series in negative powers. Annulus of convergence consequence for a
series with positive and negative powers. The fact that the resulting sums are analytic, using the fact that
uniform limits of analytic functions are analytic (uses CIF!).
(5b) derivation and uniqueness of power series and Laurent series for analytic functions in disks and
annuli. (The amazing uses of geometric series.)
(5c) uniqueness of analytic extension (cloning theorems).
(5d) radius of convergence for power and Laurent series, based on explicit convergence tests or on
domain of analyticity of a function.
(5e) finding power and Laurent series for given functions, e.g. method of equating coefficients in
products or quotients...and you should know the key power series (trig, geometric, power etc.) if you
hope to get started!
(6) Residue calculus
(6a) computing residues. (I will provide you with the text’s table of residue computation tools, but often
there are shorter ways available.)
(6b) statement and proof of the residue theorem.
(6c) computing integrals with the residue theorem, or with some limiting process which starts with the
residue theorem. (I will provide you with the table on page 296 of the text, but you will need to justify
the usage of any such formula with estimates, when appropriate.)
(6d) summing series with residue calculus. (Of course your exam will only ask questions like on the
homework, but as Gary’s presentation indicates, residue calculus is intimately related to analytic number
theory, like the prime number theorem and the Riemann Zeta function.)
(7) Applications to PDE’s: We really only talked about harmonic functions:
harmonic conjugates in simply connected domains.
mean value and maximum modulus principle.
harmonic functions in the disk. Poisson integral solution to the Dirichlet problem in the disk. (If I ask
about this I will provide formulas and maybe ask you to use them or explain facts related to them.)
harmonic composed with analytic is harmonic, lets you find harmonic functions in one domain by
finding harmonic functions in another.